<p>I have a question about possible merit aid for an OOS incoming freshman at UVA and/or VT. In your opinion, which school offers better merit aid (not need-based aid) to a high-stat incoming female engineering student? (Stats: 4.0 UW GPA, 1400+ SAT) From what I've been hearing, due to state budget cuts and the shaky economy, neither school will be particularly generous with OOS students, but thought it was worth asking to get some opinions. Thanks in advance for your help. Trying to help my daughter whittle down her college application list by being realistic about OOS tuition costs and possible financial aid.</p>
<p>Well, if you’re needing merit aid in order to afford OOS costs, then you need to assume that you might not get anything from those schools and have back ups that will give you some assured merit. </p>
<p>It doesn’t look like either VT or UVA have assured merit scholarships. </p>
<p>It doesn’t look like UVA has many (if any) merit scholarships that are not “need-based”. However, since a 1400 M+CR SAT is not high for UVA (it’s not in the top 25%), it’s doubtful that she’d get much if anything from UVA. Judging by the numbers below, it would appear to me that a student would need to have an SAT in excess of 1500 to be competitive for a merit scholarship - if any were offered without a need component. </p>
<p>It also looks like the UVa’s merit scholarships are very small.<br>
[U.Va</a>. Financial Aid - Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.virginia.edu/financialaid/scholarships.php]U.Va”>http://www.virginia.edu/financialaid/scholarships.php)</p>
<p>UVa
Middle 50% of First-Year Students
SAT Critical Reading: 600 - 710<br>
SAT Math: 630 - 730<br>
SAT Writing: 610 - 710</p>
<p>VT scholarship info: [General</a> Scholarships | University Scholarships and Financial Aid | Virginia Tech](<a href=“http://www.finaid.vt.edu/types_of_aid/scholarships/general/index.html]General”>http://www.finaid.vt.edu/types_of_aid/scholarships/general/index.html)</p>
<p>If your D needs a good merit scholarship (without a need component) in order to go out of state, then she needs to also include some schools that will give her ASSURED merit scholarships for her stats. Then she’ll know that at a minimum, she’ll be awarded merit for certain OOS schools. Otherwise, she could end up next spring with a lot of acceptances to OOS schools but not the means to afford them.</p>
<p>Mom2collegekids: Thanks for the info. You are always so helpful on this forum about financial aid. It can be tricky, can’t it? Yes, she has a good in-state backup school that she would be fine attending, but still has an interest in “possibly” attending an OOS school (the grass isn’t always greener, but try telling that to a 17-year-old). We’re going to actively explore several of those schools that offer good merit aid (Bama, LSU, Auburn) in addition to her in-state safety. Right now she’s set to retake the SAT in June and is hoping to increase her score. Don’t know that she can hit 1500, but she is scoring well on the practice tests so we’ll see. We have family in Virginia so she has expressed an interest in both UVA and VT (LOVES the VT campus), but I don’t want to encourage applying to those schools if they are tight with merit aid. No, we couldn’t afford to send her OOS at full sticker price as she is just one of several in the house attending college! Should have planned that better 18 years ago, but that’s another story…</p>
<p>Southmom, definitely check out Auburn. If she can get a 1440 on the SAT, she qualifies for a full tuition Presidential Scholarship at Auburn. [Office</a> of University Scholarships - Academic Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.auburn.edu/scholarship/academic-scholarships.html]Office”>http://www.auburn.edu/scholarship/academic-scholarships.html)
On top of that, she will get a $1500 technology allowance and a $4000 study abroad experience. My daughter got the Presidential, so we visited and loved the school. Auburn has built some brand new fantastic suite style dorms called the Villages which had the nicest rooms we saw on our many college visits. They also give out departmental scholarships and my daughter got one of those as well. With my daguhter’s outside scholarships, she will pretty much have all of her costs covered. It does say that the scholarship is not guaranteed, but everyone who has qualified the last two years has been given the Presidential.
The University of Alabama has a very similar program.</p>
<p>*but I don’t want to encourage applying to those schools if they are tight with merit aid. *</p>
<p>Well, as long as she’s only applying to a couple of “what if” schools and doesn’t have an entire list of schools that aren’t likely do-able, then there’s no real harm in letting her apply to those two schools as long as she also applies to schools that have assured merit and are affordable. At least this way, she at least find out if UVa or VT are do-able and won’t always be wondering “if”. </p>
<p>If she can visit Bama sometime, she’ll probably really like it. She should also consider applying to its Computer-Based Honors program. It’s one of the 4 honors program, but it’s very competitive to get in. They only accept 40 students into CBH. If interested in visiting, I suggest setting up a campus tour, BUT also contacting Jami Gates in the Honors College and give her your tour time. Then she’ll set up meetings with dept heads and with the Honors college dean, Dr. Sharpe around your tour time. </p>
<p>jami gates 205-348-5599 <a href=“mailto:jami.n.gates@ua.edu”>jami.n.gates@ua.edu</a>
<a href=“mailto:ssharpe@bama.ua.edu”>ssharpe@bama.ua.edu</a> <a href=“mailto:ssharpe@AALAN.UA.EDU”>ssharpe@AALAN.UA.EDU</a></p>
<p>Does UVA offer any merit money other than the few Jefferson Scholar winners? We looked a couple years ago and it doesn’t seem like UVA had any merit money.</p>
<p>Something that VT does, though, is participate in the Education Common Market. If your daughter is interested in a major that is not offered in your state schools, she can pay in-state tuition at VT. If you go to Google, you can find out if you live in one of the common market states and what majors are eligible.</p>
<p>MdMom: I’ve checked the Academic Common Market for her. VT offers five different majors at in-state rates to residents of our state, but her desired major (Environmental Engineering as a sub-specialty within Civil Engineering), unfortunately, isn’t one of them. I check the list each morning in case the major “magically” gets added, but so far, no dice. I’m impressed with all of the majors that are on the Academic Common Market though. </p>
<p>mom2collegekids: Thanks for info on Bama. Two of my best friends from long, long ago graduated from there and are chomping at the bit to take my daughter on a tour. We’re trying to set that up.</p>
<p>Mustang2000: Also in the beginning phases of exploring Auburn. Have heard many good things about the school. One of my husband’s coworkers has a daughter who will be attending from Auburn next year as a freshman (coming from Ohio) and he raves about the campus.</p>
<p>My s applied to seven state schools as an oos applicant. He has high stats. All but one school offered him some merit money - VT is that one that didn’t. We heard that was to be expected. The Virginia schools aren’t very generous to oos students. We were also told that the Virginia schools accept oos students to increase revenue not to increase diversity or to capture the best students. I don’t know if that’s true. I just know my son’s experience.</p>
<p>csfmap: Yup, that seems to fit in with what I’m hearing too. That’s too bad for my daughter as VT would have been a good fit. Oh well, better to have that kind of info now when putting the list together rather than later. I’d like for her to have a list with choices that might actually pan out for her academically and for us (her parents) financially. Best of luck to your son.</p>
<p>csfmap: Would you mind posting the other six schools that your son received merit aid to despite being OOS? Thanks.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Yes, that would be good to know…</p>
<p>And, could you list amounts and what your son’s stats were.</p>
<p>I forgot to mention, that with your D’s stats, she would get free tuition and because she’s an engineering major, she would also get $2500 per year. And, since Bama has about 2500 super suite beds for honors students, it won’t be hard to get that housing after freshman year.</p>